Mowing-machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No ModeLj T. HARDING.

MOWING MACHINE.

N0. 369,109 Pgt'e'ntedAu-g. 30, 1887.

N PETERS. PhaQo-liibqgnplwr, Wah ngton, DJ?- (No Model.) T 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T'. HARDING.

' MOWING MAGHINB.

No. 369,109. Patented Aug. so, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

THOMAS HARDING, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

MOWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,109, dated August 30, 1887.

Application filed November 3, 1886. Serial No. 217,887. (No model.)

' cutting apparatus may be rigidly connected with the main frame, and yet not materially ra sed or lowered as to the ground by tilting to raise or depress the points of the cutters, and it 7 belongs to that variety of center-cut machines wherein there is a centerless bearing-wheel, through which the cutter-driving pitman extends. Y

That others may fully understand my invention, I will particularly describe it, having reference to the 1 1- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine built in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the shoe-wheel. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the machine. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the main wheel and frame. Figs. 5, 6, .7, 8, 9 are details.

A is the annular main wheel, having a broad rim and an internal central flange, b, in the plane of the wheel, extending inward from the rim about eight inches. On one side of said flange, preferably the outside, there is a series of cog-teethconstituting a gear-ring, a. The sides of the flange b are finished on the lathe slightly converging toward the axis, so as to run easily in the guide-rollers D on the main frame B, which consists in a strong circular ring or plate provided with hubs for three of said guide or bearing rollers D, and with journal-boxes for the pinion-shaft c and crankshaft d.

The pinion E at one extremity of the shaft 0 meshes with the gear-ring a, and by means of pinion F on the other extremity of said shaft and the pinion G on the crank-shaft d transmits motion direct to the pitman H and the cutter-bar. Bythisarrangementtheframeand gearing are in the plane of the wheel, and are almost if not entirely within the plane of the accompanying drawings, where-=- edges of the same, so that they are sheltered by said rim, and their weight is directly downward thereon.

The frame B is provided with alaterally-extending bracket arm or frame, I, at one end, bolted to the frame B and at the other end bolted to the finger-bar. A circular frame composed of plates J is provided with bearings for three bearing-rollers, K, upon which the centerless shoe-wheel L runs in the same way that the wheel A runs on the rollers D. The casing-plates J have a vertical slot cut in them, and a sliding plate, Q, is fitted to slide up and down in said slot. The bracket-arm I passes entirely through thewheel L and is bolted to the plate Q. The pitman H also passes through said wheel in its reciprocations.

A bell-crank hand-lever, M, is pivoted to the frame J, and its shorter arm is provided wit-h a link, 6, which connects said lever with the sliding plate Q, to raise or lower the same and the cutting apparatus connected to it, in

order to cut close to the ground or a little distance above it. When the cutting apparatus is raised through the small distance required to constitute a high but for a mowing-machine, the wheels A and L will be slightly tilted out of avertical plane. The bell-crank lever M may be provided with an ordinary segmentrack and hand-latch to hold said lever in any position desired, and thereby retain 'the cutting apparatus at the desired height from the ground. Laterally-projecting brackets N N are attached to the frame B by bolting, or by being cast integral with said frame, and the tongue P is secured to said brackets, which have sufficient lateral projection to offset the tongue clear of the rim of the wheel.

The drivers seat may be mounted by attaching its leg to the frame B or by attaching it to the rear end of the tongue.

Having described my invention, I claim as new 1. The centerless wheel A and the frame B in the plane of the wheel, with its bearingrollers and attached gearing, combined with the laterally-projecting coupling frame or arm I, rigidly attached to said frame, and the cutting apparatus attached thereto, a centerless shoe-wheel attached to the outer end of said arm to support the inner end of the cutting apparatus, and means for adjusting the height of said cutting apparatus and outer end of said lateral arm as to said shoe-wheel, and the pitman H. 5 2. The laterally-projecting coupling arm or frame I, connected at one end to the main gearframe of the machine and at the other end to the fiugerbar of the cutting apparatus, co1nbined with the centerless shoe wheel L, provided with the frame J, having a vertical slot and the hearing-rollers K, a slide bolted to the arm and working in said slot, and a hand-lever mounted on the frame J and connected with said slide for the purpose of controlling r5 the height of the cutting apparatus.

THOMAS HARDING.

\Vitnesses:

F. It. MINQKLER FREMONT Woonnurr. 

